Let me summarize what I believe we know for sure and is the most important message (to me anyways).

- SJ rating or earlier .... OK to use
- SL and up .... use at own risk

Doc

Questcap wrote:

They say it's okay... do you think they would if it might open them up to liability?

I dont know.... I dont see them on this list

additives

Doc,

Don't know 'bout "SJ rating or earlier .... OK to use". When I put my Yamaha service manual for the R* on my screen, it spoke of SE, which hasn't been seen in automotive use for quite some time, and must be the reason that we have cycle specific oils on the market today.

Folks, go with the manufacturers specified lubricant. Yamaha doesn't want you to use anything beyond the SE additive package, and that's why most auto oils no longer can be recommended.

To go beyond the SE additive package and use stuff with more or less zinc, molybdenum, teflon or anything else is not authorized by Yamaha, and you operate at your own risk... which, I guess, is what I have been doing for years, unwittingly.

And now that I 'know better' I will continue to do what I have done until it either bites me, or someone here who reports it, on their arse.

I guess cooking oil is out of the question.

Razor wrote:
I guess cooking oil is out of the question.

Go ahead and laugh we may be burning cooking oil for fuel in these things before its over with ...Coug

Well, here we go again!
Dropped in to the local Auto Zone last night. It's time to change my oil again in my 06 and I am all set to switch over to synthetic. Read all the tech articles and posts on here and had my mind made up that I was gettin the Mobil V-Twin 20-50 synthetic and a Bosch filter. Grabbed the filter off the shelf at $5.50, started grabbing 4 quarts of the Mobile 1 at $9.95 a quart when all of a sudden I saw a sale ad hanging on the Valvoline 20-50 full synth that had a price for 5 quarts and ANY bosch filter for $19.95 total !! There was a serious screaching sound as I put on the brakes and stood reading the bottle for about 20 minutes.
When it was all said and done, I walked out with the Mobil 1 V-twin and the filter at a cost of about $47 bucks .
Call it stupid, safe, or whatever, but I feel a lot better pouring the Mobil 1 into the tube under the seat. I hope my baby treats me well for it.

Chief,

If you go by what Yamaha says, you did the right thing!

But, if you go by the experience of a goodly number of us here, it would seem that you could have saved some bucks, and done no harm whatsoever.

Don't regret what you did, because nobody could tell you that you did wrong.

I'll just go back to my old line... I didn't know any better, have been using the Mobil 1 15w-50 that has the additive package rated SM and say that I have used this oil for literally years in all my bikes, and never had an issue.

Judging from what I've read here... no one else seems to have either.

Go with what you're most comfortable with... I'll stick with what I've been doing until either I, or someone else here says they paid for it big time with a ruined clutch.